Prof.
Vinod Pavarala (right), UNESCO Chair on Community Media, presents a
gift to Mr Joseph Sekiku, the Chairperson of the Community Media Network
of Tanzania during the EAC-UNESCO
Community Media Networks training workshop held in Arusha, Tanzania.
Mr Liberat Mfumukeko, EAC Deputy Secretary General (Finance and Administration), speaking 
Ms. Zulmira Rodrigues, the Head of UNESCO Office and Representative to
Tanzania
(left), shares notes with Mr Liberat Mfumukeko, the EAC's Deputy
Secretary General (Finance and Administration), during the official of
the EAC-UNESCO Community Media Networks' training workshop at the EAC
Headquarters in Arusha.
A
three-day East African Community (EAC)-United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) workshop is currently
underway in Arusha, Tanzania.
The
workshop which is taking place at the EAC Headquarters in Arusha,
Tanzania has drawn 35 participants from community radio stations in the
five EAC Partner
States namely Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda.
Speaking
during the official opening of the workshop, Ms. Zulmira Rodrigues, the
Head of Office and Representative of UNESCO in the United Republic of
Tanzania,
pledged that UNESCO would continue to support community media
initiatives in the EAC region.
Ms.
Rodrigues said UNESCO-supported community radios continued to be the
main source of information for rural, marginalized and indigenous
communities on issues
that widely range from economic and socio-cultural policy to addressing
emergency situations.
“UNESCO
through its support has further significantly contributed to ensuring
quality broadcasting, ethical programming and inclusive content to
include all
groups – men, women, the youth, persons living with disabilities and
persons living with albinism – to actively participate in key processes
for democracy, peace and development,” said Ms. Rodrigues.
The
UNESCO Country Representative particularly singled out the work of
community media in Tanzania which she said has never been more relevant.
“In
a time when information affects almost every human decision and action,
through the touch of a button or the swipe of a screen, the turning
knob on a radio
remains the most effective way to promote development in hard to reach
areas seen by the community media network in Tanzania alone reaching an
audience of over 16 million – over a third of the country’s entire
population. A segment that would otherwise have
been left out by conventional media, mainstream media,” she said.
Ms.
Rodrigues advised community media stations that to ensure
sustainability, they need to bear in staying in business meant more than
just securing the funding
to keep their stations and programmes running.
“It
includes a holistic approach that will facilitate the effective
utilization of your resources – correspondents, partners, collaborators
and management –
to achieve a stable base of resources to ensure the community radios’
going concern. These elements must be supported by a clear vision and
results orientation; strategic financing; adaptability to changing
conditions; a broad base of community support, and;
strong internal systems,” she said.
Speaking
when he officially opened the workshop, the EAC Deputy Secretary in
charge of Finance and Administration, Mr. Liberat Mfumukeko, said the
Community
attaches great importance to the role of the media promoting awareness,
debate and involvement of the broad range of stakeholders in the EAC
integration.
“As
the regional integration process intensifies, the EAC is challenged
more and more today to achieve and demonstrate greater efficiency and
effectiveness as
well as more visibility for its activities, achievements and
competitiveness in the region and beyond,” said Mr Mfumukeko.
He
urged the media to embrace regional integration with passion,
dedication and commitment for the benefit of the present and future
generations of East Africa,
adding that the Secretariat would continue to partner with the media in
sensitizing stakeholders on the integration process.
“We
have directed the Corporate Communications and Public Affairs
Department to come up with a strategy to involve community radio
stations in the Partner States
in our outreach and advocacy programmes in the next Financial Year.
With this strategy in place, we shall work and engage with you more
closely,” said the Deputy Secretary General.
Facilitating the workshop are community media experts led by the UNESCO Chair on Community, Professor Vinod Pavarala.
No comments:
Post a Comment